


Why Maine Is Such A Good Idea

by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)



Series: The Autumn of Our Content [1]
Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-27
Updated: 2009-11-27
Packaged: 2017-10-03 20:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gray_Cardinal/pseuds/Gray%20Cardinal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexis is going off to college, saying goodbye to her father -- and making a very important phone call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Maine Is Such A Good Idea

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** _Castle_ is the creation of Andrew W. Marlowe and belongs (more or less) to ABC Studios. The following story is set some time in the future, and may or may not reflect events as they eventually play out on the series itself.****

**Boston, MA – North Station platform**

Richard Castle's face was a war zone. A glow of fierce paternal pride was battling it out with an expression of unmitigated, desperate panic, and Alexis wasn't entirely sure which was winning.

"Relax, Dad," she told her father as she released him from the hug. "At least it's a lot closer than Oxford."

The panic went into momentary retreat. "True," he said. "But who's going to forge my signature on the electric bill next month when I forget to pay it?"

Alexis gave him a severe look. "All that stuff is on automatic deduction," she reminded him for at least the ninety-third time, "and the money from your books is on automatic deposit. Even if you stopped writing tomorrow, it would be about three years before the household account bottomed out. Unless you start ordering delivery from the Four Seasons seven days a week."

The elder Castle sighed dramatically. "And if I do descend into a cesspool of unending five-star cuisine and drown my loneliness in expensive French champagne?"

"Ten months, tops," Alexis said. "Then a couple of years on the investments. After that you'd have to start selling stuff. Houses, cars, the laser tag gear..."

"Not the laser tag gear!" The panicked expression came back, but now it was mock panic. "Clearly I'll have to adopt a more responsible lifestyle. Even if it kills me. Which it might." Some of the mockness went away, but amusement was still holding out. "Remind me again why Maine is such a good idea."

"Blueberries. L. L. Bean. Fresh lobsters. Maple syrup – no, that's Vermont. Oh, wait," Alexis said, "you mean Bowdoin. Small classes. Really good academics – literary, and sciences, and music. Gorgeous campus. Oh, and the totally merit-based scholarship, so I can save part of the college fund for grad school."

"Right," her father said. "Also twelve hours by train...and bus," he added, shuddering slightly. "No subway. Probably no five-star restaurants."

Alexis laughed. "No, but they say the dining halls are really great."

The sound system crackled. "Final boarding call for the Downeaster..."

"Gotta go," said Alexis, giving her father one last daughterly kiss before she grabbed the handle of her wheeled suitcase and headed for the train.

# # #

She waited ten full minutes, till the train was well underway, before reaching for her cell phone.

"Beckett," came the voice on the other end. "Everything okay?"

"For me?" Alexis replied. "Pretty much; I'm on the train to Portland now. Now as for Dad...."

"Did he make a scene? Try to talk you out of going? Do the sad-puppy-dog routine?"

"No, not seriously, and of course. I'm—"

"Worried," Beckett said. "Of course you are. This is your dad we're talking about."

"Not _worried_ worried – I mean, he's not suicidal or anything, and he'd really have to work at it to get into money trouble. But it _is_ Dad, and—"

"I promise," Beckett told her. "I'll keep an eye on him for you."

Two and a half years of memories scrolled like PowerPoint slides through Alexis's mind. The dozens of cases her father and Beckett had solved – including, at long last, Johanna Beckett's murder. The few times her father had been hurt – a broken ankle while chasing a suspect's dog, a concussion when he'd tackled a killer bent on slashing Beckett's throat, and the bullet that had grazed his arm during a shootout. Three Thanksgiving dinners they'd shared with Beckett, two at the Castle apartment and one at Beckett's father's place. The amazing success of the Nikki Heat series...and the fireworks, literal and figurative, that had gone off when the movie deal went through. The month when Beckett had moved into their apartment, while her dad was on a book tour and Martha was filming a made-for-TV movie in Toronto.

"You still there?" Beckett asked after a long moment.

"Still here," said Alexis, taking a deep breath. "Just one thing. Dad being Dad, I don't know if he realizes. I mean, he's mostly great at reading people, but he's got this one blind spot. So I'm not sure he's ever figured out..."

"Figured out what?" Beckett's voice was very, very quiet.

Alexis took another breath. "Just how much you're in love with him."

There was another pregnant silence. Then: "But you did."

"After a while it was kind of hard not to see it."

"I...see. And you're mentioning this now because...."

"Well," said Alexis, "I could say it's because Dad needs a grownup around to keep him in line."

"But you're not saying that?" Now Beckett sounded faintly intrigued.

"Not exactly. I mean, he's never going to stop letting his inner nine-year-old out, but he _can_ survive on his own if he has to. It's just – he won't be happy, all by himself. And I think maybe he would be...with you."

There was a long, low whoosh of indrawn breath on the other end of the line. "I see," Beckett said. "But..."

"Oh, Dad's fallen just as hard for you," Alexis said quickly. "Not that he's figured it out, at least not how serious it is. Dad's never been good at seeing serious. Or he wasn't, before he met you."

"Well," said Beckett. "I'll definitely keep that in mind. That said, your father is never to find out that we had this conversation—"

"Or you'd have to kill me," Alexis finished. "Which would be totally the wrong way to start a new relationship."

"Totally," Beckett agreed. "Now you go wow your professors in Maine, and stop worrying about your father."

"Will do," said Alexis. "Bye!"

She was still smiling when the train pulled into Portland several hours later.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Five College Careers Alexis Castle Might Consider (and the Consequences Thereof)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/422347) by [Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gray_Cardinal/pseuds/Gray%20Cardinal)




End file.
